Page 24 of Trust Me (Rivers Edge #1)

“I guess the medicine that her doc gave her on Friday isn’t helping. Mom says she’s having a hard time breathing. Her fever is spiking up to one hundred four and it’s not coming down very much. Mom suggested that Avery take her to the ER.”

“Avery’s by herself?”

“No, Will was there and he’s driving her. Mom is leaving the house now to meet them there.”

“What do they think it is?”

“Mom wasn’t sure. Will says there’s some rough shit floating around right now. Avery phoned the on-call doctor and he’s supposed to be meeting them in the ER. Mom promised to call when she had more info.”

It is quiet for the next several hours, Jake and I each lost in our own thoughts.

We try to focus on work, but neither of us do a very good job of it.

I wrote the wrong offense on a traffic stop, twice, for the same guy, and Jake was going to issue a speeding ticket to an eighty-year-old man who was going ten miles an hour under the speed limit.

Jake checks in with his mom around dinnertime, but she still doesn’t have any answers. The pediatrician is leaning toward pneumonia, but they are waiting on the radiologist to read the X-rays to confirm .

At quarter to nine, his phone finally rings. Jake answers it as quickly as possible and listens as his mom updates him on Brooklyn’s condition. After he hangs up, he fills me in on the latest.

“Apparently, she has pneumonia. It’s pretty severe and moved very quickly into her lungs. Mom says she’s at REMC right now, but they could be sending her to St. Charles. They have a big pediatric wing there, I guess.”

My throat constricts the breath I’m trying to suck into my lungs. I know pneumonia is bad, especially in little kids and the elderly. My heart rate spikes, and I start to sweat uncontrollably. What if something happens to Brooklyn?

“As soon as we’re done with paperwork, I’m heading to the hospital. They won’t let me in because she’s in ICU, but I want to be there in the waiting room with everyone.”

“Go now. I’ll drop you off at your truck, and then I’ll head inside to file the paperwork.

I’m sure the captain will understand. I’ll do your part.

You need to be with everyone else right now.

” I speed up slightly to get to the station.

When I pull up along the back bumper of his truck, I’m barely stopped before his door flies open.

“Jake! Keep me posted. ”

“I will, buddy.” And with that he’s gone.

I drive up and park the cruiser in its usual spot.

I wander inside to finish up the end of shift duties and stop by my lieutenant’s office to fill him in on Jake’s phone call.

I’m trying to hurry through as much of the paperwork as possible without making any mistakes.

When I’m finished, I fly out to my truck and head toward the hospital.

When I pull in the almost deserted parking lot, I park next to Jake’s truck and head in. Inside the elevator, I push the button for the second floor, remembering Jake said she was in the Intensive Care Unit.

I reach the waiting area and see the entire Stevens family sitting there, offering comfort to each other with shoulder slaps and one-armed hugs. Michael has his arms around Elizabeth as she gently cries in her seat. Jake sees me and walks over.

“You just missed Avery. They’re moving her to St. Charles.

They started an aggressive round of antibiotics here, but her doctor wants her to get more extensive drugs and stuff at the bigger hospital.

They’re taking her by ambulance in a few minutes.

They’ll only allow two people there so Mom’s going with them. ”

“Is she going to be okay?” I ask, my voice small and full of fear.

“I don’t know. It’s aggressive, but they’re hopeful that she got her to the hospital in enough time to get the drugs in her as quickly as possible.

Right now, they’re trying to get her fever down so they can transport her.

But I know in my heart, that little girl is a fighter like her mom, so she’s gonna pull through just fine. ”

“And she gets it from her uncle Jake,” I say as I slap a hand on his shoulder and give him a little squeeze.

“When they get her in the rig, Dad, my brothers, and I are gonna head home and try to get some sleep. We want to head over to St. Charles in the morning, even if we are just stuck in a damn waiting room there too. Since I’m the closest to Avery’s place, I’m gonna swing by and grab some clothes for her and Bean. ”

“I’ll go with you.”

Jake looks up at me with concern in his eyes. “This must be difficult for you too.”

“Yeah, I’m experiencing emotions I didn’t even know possible.

That little girl means everything to me.

Just the thought of something happening to her makes me lose my ever-loving mind.

” I rub the tension between my eyes and try to think of anything else besides my little girl lying in a hospital bed.

I realize at this moment that is exactly what she is.

She’s my little girl, and I love her more than anyone can love a child.

“She’s gonna be okay,” Jake says, squeezing my shoulder in return.

“Guys, they’re moving her,” Will says at the entrance of the waiting room. I stand with her entire family as we watch the nursing staff wheel Brooklyn out of her room, toward the elevator.

I see a very worn-out Avery step out of the room following closely behind the gurney carrying her daughter toward the elevator.

Our eyes lock and she seems surprised to see me.

Elizabeth steps forward to join her daughter and granddaughter in the elevator.

My eyes remain locked on her crystal-blue eyes that are red-rimmed from crying.

She tears up as our eyes have a conversation of their own.

I see the fear and the uncertainty in her eyes, and I pray she can see the fear and love in my own.

A tear slides unchecked down her cheek before she returns her attention to the nurse, and they all step inside the elevator.

I have to restrain myself from running and throwing my arms securely around her.

They disappear from my sight, enveloped in the elevator that is taking them down a floor toward the waiting ambulance.

I’ve lost sight of the love of my life as my own tears slide down my cheeks.

Jake and I meet at Avery’s place to grab some clothes and personal items for both Avery and Brooklyn.

Jake heads into Brooklyn’s room while I tackle Avery’s.

Once I step inside, I’m assaulted with memories and scents of Avery.

I can smell her vanilla lotion and my mind is flooded with memories.

Avery’s body pressed against mine as we talked before going to sleep.

Taking Avery against the back of the door after our first date.

Avery sleeping on the pillow next to me.

I want all this again. I want to make new memories.

But first, I need to gather up some of her stuff for her stay in the hospital.

If I know Avery at all, she won’t leave Brooklyn’s side so she’ll need everything I can grab.

I pull open her drawers and start to grab a few pairs of underwear, socks, and a bra.

I see the red lace thong she wore that night before it all went bad.

I shove it aside and reach for the more comfortable pairs she has in there.

I throw a pair of jeans and her comfy yoga pants on the bed, followed by her favorite hoodie and a few T-shirts.

I know she’s already wearing her tennis shoes, so I don’t bother with more.

I head into the bathroom and grab a brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and a hair tie that is sitting by the sink.

I’m not sure if she wants any makeup or not, so I just grab the little bag of girly face stuff sitting on the shelf above the toilet.

I see Brooklyn’s toothbrush sitting there so I throw that in the bag too.

I head back to Avery’s room to bag up all the stuff as Jake comes in.

He’s got a little pink bag stuffed with some clothes.

As we gather up the belongings and head toward the door, I stop at the entrance to Brooklyn’s room and take a peek inside.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the stuffed monkey sitting on her bed from our arcade trip.

I walk in, snatch it up, and stuff it in the bag.

Then we head out the door, each heading home for what is sure to be another long, sleepless night.

*****

Jake calls me the next morning at six and says they are working out travel arrangements. Will is going to drive his car with his dad, Travis, and Nate all riding along. Jake decides he wants to drive and offers for me to ride with him.

When he pulls into the drive at eight o’clock, I’m ready to go. I jump in the truck and can’t help but laugh .

“What’s so funny?” Jake asks.

“I was just thinking that if we were waiting on Avery, we wouldn’t be leaving for at least another half hour.”

Jake laughs. “Yeah, that girl has never been on time for anything in her life. Hell, she was even a week late when she had Bean.”

We ride to St. Charles in mostly comfortable silence, making small talk every once in a while to pass the time. We pull into a parking spot and head inside the much larger hospital. Michael, Nate, Will, and Travis are all waiting by the elevator for us.

“She’s in room P214,” Michael says. “They won’t let us in the room, but there’s a waiting room down the hall.

Will just sent a text to Liz to let her know we were here and that we’d be in there waiting for an update.

” We all climb into the elevator and head up a floor.

The hallways change as soon as we hit the pediatric wing.

What were once ivory walls and ivory tile floors are now brightly painted halls with cartoon character murals.

We find the waiting room and all get comfortable for the long day of waiting.